The government has announced that it will revamp eight sitting-out areas in the peninsula’s Toi San and Ilha Verde districts in phases where their layout will be reorganised while existing facilities will be replaced with new ones, as they have been in use for many years where facilities lack diversity and have aged, with the renovation of the first one to start in the second quarter, which is expected to be completed at the end of this year.
The revamps of the other seven will start later in phases, with the last one expected to be completed in the first quarter of 2027.
The Municipal Affairs Bureau (IAM) made the announcements in a statement on Friday.
Ilha Verde and Toi San districts are located next to each other. Ilha Verde (“Green Island”) is at the peninsula’s north-western tip, while Toi San, known as Tamagnini Barbosa in Portuguese, is the area east of Ilha Verde, west of Iao Hon district, and south of the Barrier Gate border checkpoint at the peninsula’s northern tip.
The statement noted that Toi San and Ilha Verde districts are densely populated neighbourhoods where a relatively large number of children, middle-aged and senior citizens live, adding that there are many crèches, kindergartens, schools, and social service facilities in the two districts, creating an increasingly great demand for recreational and sports facilities.
The statement said that the eight sitting-out areas, comprising six in Toi San and two in Ilha Verde, have been in use for many years where facilities have worn out, apart from being “monotonous”.
Consequently, the statement said, the bureau has decided to renovate the eight sitting-out areas in phases.
In the English version of the bureau’s website, sitting-out areas are called leisure areas.
The statement said that the revamps of the eight sitting-out areas will include reorganising their layout and diversifying fitness equipment and children’s playground facilities, aiming to create leisure activity spaces with distinctive characteristics meeting the needs of residents in different age groups in the neighbourhoods.
According to the statement, the eight sitting-out areas to be renovated comprise Rua Central de T’oi Sán (台山中街), Rua da Missão de Fátima (花地瑪教會街), Bairro Social de Tamagnini Barbosa (台山平民新邨), Rua de Lei Pou Ch’ôn (李寶椿街), Rua Marginal do Canal das Hortas (next to Caritas) (菜園涌邊街明愛側), Rua da Fábrica (工廠街), Praça dos Lótus (蓮花廣場), and Estrada Marginal da Ilha Verde (青洲河邊馬路), with the first six in Toi San and the last two in Ilha Verde.
The statement said that the Rua Central de T’oi Sán leisure area will be the first one to be revamped, which will start in the second quarter and is scheduled to be completed at the end of this year.
The renovations of the other seven will commence one after another, with the last one slated to be completed in the first quarter of 2027, the statement said.
The six sitting-out areas in Toi San to be revamped cover an area of between 225 square metres and 1,680 square metres, while the two in Ilha Verde to be renovated cover an area of 7,245 square metres and 7,500 square metres.
In the upcoming project to revamp the Rua Central de T’oi Sán leisure area, the existing trees will be kept and together with the green landscape, a leisure experience in an “urban oasis” will be created, the statement said, adding that surrounded by trees, customised children’s playground including a tree house will be installed.
An elevated exploration pathway will also be installed to fully utilise the limited space of the venue and provide a fun experience for children and teenagers to play and explore nature, the statement said.
Details about the revamps of the other seven sitting-out areas can be checked on: https://www.gov.mo/en/news/355697/
Pedestrians walk in the Rua Central de T’oi Sán sitting out area in Toi San district on Saturday. – Photo: Tony Wong
This artist’s rendition released by the Municipal Affairs Bureau (IAM) on Friday shows the future revamped Rua Central de T’oi Sán sitting out area.
